Aiko Okumura walked back through the main gate into her family compound. She expected to be bombarded with yet more troubles but, instead, she was greeted with expectant faces. Everyone had gathered outside and had been awaiting her return. Most of them chatted amongst themselves, filling the time that passed with meager distractions; children even sat on the ground in small groups as they played quiet games or listened to stories told by a few of their elders.
Hitomi was nowhere in sight as Aiko searched the crowd for her. She would later discover that her grandmother had been apprehended—along with several others—after the Hokage and a group of Leaf ninja stormed through the Okumura compound, as result of Naruto relaying Aiko's message. It would come as a relief that the young girl's most pressing issue upon her return had already been dealt with for her. After the death of her parents, Aiko just wanted a break. She wanted the fighting to stop. She wanted to rest.
Although Aiko couldn't bring back Nanami or Karasu's bodies as proof of her deed, she had something that would be just as convincing. Weary, the red head stepped towards the gathered crowd and produced her father's sword. The glistening silver metal was still just as polished and sharp as Karasu always kept it, and the handle was a beautiful, intricate weave of black cord wrapped around grey rayskin. Even the guard that separated the handle from the blade displayed an ornate design of small dragons weaving lazily in time-frozen circles. If it had been anyone else's weapon, Aiko would have found it beautiful, but all she saw now was a cruel tool that had been wielded for all the wrong reasons. She hated the sight of it.
In one, swift motion, Aiko held the sword with the tip pointing at the earth and drove the blade into the ground. Everyone knew what it meant that she had returned with their leader's weapon, but to drive the point home even further, Aiko had been allowed to take small strips from both of her parents' clothing. She tied these blood-soaked ribbons to the sword's hilt as further emphasis that her parents were dead.
None of the clan dared speak up, but they whispered amongst themselves as they eyed the red head before them with curiosity and awe. To watch one of their own—one of the most beaten and broken individuals in their entire clan—rise up and overthrow their strongest powers was truly a sight to behold. It made some feel giddy, while others felt fear for what Aiko might do now. Almost all of them had hurt her in some way—whether through words or physical pain—and the Okumura had long prided themselves on holding deep-rooted grudges. They wondered if she would do the same.
Aiko took a deep breath, reassured by Sasuke's presence next to her, and said what she never in her wildest dreams thought she would ever say: "Nanami and Karasu are dead. Your leaders have fallen. By my right, I assume my position as High Priestess. Those who would stand by me, know that I harbor no ill will, but I will not tolerate cruelty in this family any longer. To myself but also to any others. Should you oppose me, know that you are then not welcome in the clan and you shall be handed over to the Village to be dealt with in whatever way they see fit." Aiko paused, looking around at the faces of so many she recognized. Any malice they might once have had for her was now dissolving away as they recognized her for her display of strength and perseverance. She was what they valued in a leader, what they expected from any head of the clan. The Okumura looked at Aiko and saw only prosperity for their family.
But a few of them held expressions of hesitation.
What did her new leadership entail in regards to the family business that they had all spent centuries building?
Aiko noticed the few faces with this obvious question written all over their features. "Also," she began once more, "I plan to dissolve all but one branch of our family's operations—"
The response was immediate as all of the elders and adults of the clan erupted in protest. Even some of the younger members looked angry. They shouted at her, calling her crazy. What else was there for them to do if she took away the only way they had ever known to make money? She would bankrupt the family! Everyone would starve to death by the end of the year!
Aiko tried to shout over them, to quiet their torrent of angry yelling, but her voice drowned in their overwhelming majority. So she did the only thing she knew would work:
In quick motion, Aiko unstrapped her fan, opened it, and swung it with a light push. Only a rough breeze blew forward as it rammed into the crowd, blowing their hair and clothes wildly behind them, silencing them instantly.
"This is not negotiable," Aiko explained with authority, "I will not stand for this family's legacy to consist of murder and torture and malpractice."
"And you would have us do what, then?!" A woman shouted, "Be farmers? Be ninja carrying out low-ranking missions for the Hidden Leaf?!" There were collective groans amongst the crowd as more chimed in:
"Our businesses are already established! Why can't we keep them?!"
"We don't want to start over!"
"None of us have been raised to do such petty work! It's beneath us!"
Many agreed.
Aiko rubbed her temples and closed her eyes as she took a deep breath, "Will you all shut up!" They quieted. "If you just let me finish, you could save your pathetic whining! I'm not saying you need to be farmers or work for the Hidden Leaf! And if you had listened, I told you I'm allowing one branch of the business to remain." The clan murmured their irritation but held their tongues when it came to speaking out. They would listen to what Aiko had to say.
"Our clan is good at one thing above all else," Aiko said, making sure she had everyone's attention, "We have always dealt in information. The selling and buying of it, in particular." Aiko pointed at several of her aunts and uncles, "I know for a fact that we have a well established network of spies spread out across many villages. Why can't we use that for a better cause? We are apart of Konohagakure, are we not? Even if all of you pretend this isn't true."
"You would have us collect and give information to the Hidden Leaf?" One of Aiko's aunts asked with heavy skepticism.
"The Okumura are the best information brokers to ever exist," the red head explained, "I'm not asking you to do it for free. I can't ask all of you to give up centuries of only looking out for the clan's wellbeing. But I propose this: Let our only business be in the dealing of information. With one exception: we don't sell anything on the Hidden Leaf. Do what you will with regards to the other villages, our clan still needs to make a living, but we must protect the village that we are a part of. Just as any of Konoha's people would protect it themselves."
The clan muttered to each other as they thought on this new direction. It wouldn't be so bad. The element of danger would still be present—being an information broker still came with it's own set of risks—but it was nothing they weren't already doing. But doing this Aiko's way gave the family some credibility. It would also eliminate the more severe dangers that came with their more darker operations.
"Information is valuable," One of Aiko's cousins interjected, stepping forward, "but it can't support all of us." Some of the others nodded as they thought on this. "There has to be more we can do. There was a reason there were so many branches to the family business."
"Then our aid to the Hidden Leaf will extend further," Aiko said sharply, her blue eyes fixing on the small form of her cousin. "You all seem keen to keep your ties to the family's darker dealings, so here's this proposition: Konoha employs its own assassins—that's what some of their ANBU are trained for—you can be that."
"Assassin's for the Hidden Leaf?!" Her cousin scoffed, as if offended by the very idea of working for someone else.
"You'd rather be a farmer?" Aiko asked sarcastically. Her cousin only glared in response. "Alright," Aiko continued, "I get that this is clearly a lot. It's also not something that needs to be discussed with all of you. So, if the clan elders could come with me, we can flesh out the finer details and then we all can get what we want."
There was a grumbling of acceptance throughout the clan. A lot of the younger members resented that they didn't get to be there to make such impacting choices for the family. Aiko didn't want to argue with a bunch of children, however. She needed this resolved. She wouldn't have the ground torn from under her just as she had become High Priestess. Not even a day in power and they were already fighting her decisions. Aiko sighed in acceptance though, she knew leading the family was never an easy job. But changing the Okumura for the better was a worthy cause.
And a cause she would fight for.
As the crowd began to disperse, Aiko and Sasuke were left with a handful of elders that would serve as the voices for the rest of the clan. Aiko nodded at the much more reasonable group that was left, this would make everything go much smoother.
"Alright," Aiko said as she waved a hand, beckoning the elders to follow her as she made to leave the compound, "Let's take this to the Hokage. I don't want any clashing agreements, so we're going to do this right. I want these matters solved quickly so we can get the family functioning again." Everyone nodded as they followed along.
They were all in accord with Aiko's plan. However, a change of power and the dissolving of the clan's many business branches made most of them feel bitter. They were sour towards Aiko and her ideas for change, but in the back of their minds, they recognized it as the right thing to do.
The safe thing to do.
Aiko didn't know it, but the Okumura business had been beginning to tap into much more dangerous territory over the last year—with Karasu and Nanami guiding it there. Like cattle to the slaughter. Many in the clan feared for their safety, more than they normally did. Their dealings had begun to go from small assassinations and minor tortures towards plans of aiding in overthrowing leaders, assisting in mutinies, and the selling of much more illegal products on the black markets. All of which had started painting targets on the Okumura Clan as a whole. Even going so far as to begin making it almost impossible for the family to hide the horrendous practices they dealt in. Had Aiko not overthrown her parents, her family would have fallen into turbulent waters and most likely drowned. Everyone would know them for what they practiced behind closed doors—would recognize them for the monsters they were.
Aiko would later learn of this, but her stance would remain the same. The Okumura is her family, the only one she's ever known besides the Uchihas. There was good among them, there had to be. Aiko saw her clan for its potential, she knew she could save them.
They just needed to let her.